Commitment to Inclusion and Sustainability

Malaysia has chosen the theme “Inclusiveness and Sustainability” for its ASEAN chairmanship in 2025, a special year as the bloc celebrates the 10th anniversary of the ASEAN Community with its three pillars.

In 2025, ASEAN will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the ASEAN Community with its three pillars.

Taking on a role amidst a global and Asian landscape facing a range of geopolitical challenges and rising global tensions—from strategic competition to climate issues—Malaysia's goal is to foster cohesion by driving ASEAN's shared vision, bringing member states closer together, and strengthening mutual trust.

This is particularly significant as 2025 marks the year ASEAN prepares to welcome Timor-Leste as its 11th full member. Furthermore, 2025 is also a year of renewed vitality for the ASEAN Community as leaders officially adopt the ASEAN Community Vision to 2045.

Besides assessing 10 years of ASEAN Community building to move towards the ASEAN Vision 2045, Malaysia's priorities for 2025 include jointly addressing challenges; promoting shared prosperity, leaving no one behind; strengthening intra-bloc linkages, promoting integration and connectivity among ASEAN economies ; enhancing trade and investment, expanding economic cooperation with partners for inclusive and sustainable growth; and building a resilient ASEAN in the digital sphere...

Malaysian Minister for Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) Tengku Datuk Seri Utama Zafrul stressed that this means pursuing an inclusive approach to ASEAN economic development and ensuring that minority groups fully benefit from the overarching goals.

In other words, ASEAN is oriented towards inclusive development, a development perspective with the main message of ensuring equal opportunities for development for all, especially vulnerable groups, creating equal opportunities for everyone to participate in and benefit from the fruits of development.

To achieve this, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's government has identified the digital economy agreement as a leverage point to create influence for the ASEAN economy. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who is also the Minister of Finance, affirmed that, as the ASEAN Chair, Malaysia aims to digitize and prioritize the ASEAN power grid as part of its efforts to support intra-regional trade growth.

He emphasized Malaysia's commitment to strengthening digitalization efforts to make ASEAN a strategic and competitive digital hub, thereby boosting intra-ASEAN trade amidst complex geopolitical developments. Specifically, this will be achieved through technological development, accelerating digital transformation, and participating in the digital economy to create inclusive development within ASEAN.

In 2023, ASEAN was the world's fifth-largest economy with a GDP of US$844 billion and a total population of 677 million. The association's digital economy is projected to grow from US$300 billion to US$2 trillion by 2030.

To advance this goal, countries are focusing on enhancing the convenience of digital transactions through the Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA).

Over the next decade, DEFA is projected to have a significant impact on ASEAN's economic landscape by creating a cohesive digital marketplace. This initiative will facilitate cross-border trade, foster innovation, and potentially bridge the digital divide among member states, enhancing regional competitiveness.

However, the implementation of DEFA presents significant challenges due to differences in the level of digital infrastructure development, legal regulations, and economic disparities among ASEAN countries.

Addressing these issues will require significant investment and a balanced approach to technological progress and cultural integration, ensuring that all member states benefit equitably from the digital economy.

Along with clear benefits for trade among ASEAN member states, the spillover effects will be significant for the entire region. This framework is also expected to boost regional growth in future industries such as generative artificial intelligence (AI), data centers, and cybersecurity.

Furthermore, Malaysia prioritizes the development of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) Strategic Plan for the period 2026-2030, ensuring that this plan aligns with the overall objectives of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045.

According to Ms. Mastura Ahmad Mustafa, Deputy Secretary-General for Trade, Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry of Malaysia, the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 will follow after the conclusion of AEC 2025. Unlike previous frameworks, this vision will span 20 years but will be implemented through 5-year strategic phases to adapt to the rapid pace of economic and technological development.

Regarding regional issues and relations with major powers, Malaysia, as the Chair, advocates for strengthening cooperation with major partners, including Japan, China, and the United States, on important security issues affecting the region, such as the crisis in Myanmar or tensions in the South China Sea.

Furthermore, the goal is to reaffirm ASEAN's central position in an increasingly divided world and a changing geopolitical landscape. ASEAN's resilience and crucial role in this multipolar world will depend on its ability to adapt to new realities while remaining true to its fundamental principles of cooperation, openness, inclusiveness, peaceful coexistence, non-interference, and respect for international law.

In 2015, during Malaysia's chairmanship of ASEAN, the leaders of the 10 member states signed the Kuala Lumpur Declaration on the ASEAN Community Vision 2025, themed "ASEAN 2025: Together We Advance".

The overall objective of the ASEAN Community is to build ASEAN into a politically cohesive, economically integrated, socially responsible, and open-door community that operates according to the rule of law and is people-oriented.

This year, Malaysia returns to chair ASEAN, and with its commitment to “inclusiveness and sustainability,” the ASEAN chair for 2025 aims to reaffirm the spirit of the Kuala Lumpur Declaration on a united, cohesive community with shared responsibilities and a people-centered approach.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/malaysia-dam-nhiem-vai-tro-chu-tich-asean-2025-cam-ket-ve-bao-trum-va-ben-vung-299344.html